Magna Mirrors Co-op Rotation #3 - EGR 490
Tyler
Experience Information
Employer: Magna Mechatronics, Mirrors, and Lighting
Job Title: Advanced Product Development Intern/Co-op
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Magna Mechatronics, Mirrors, and Lighting is a division of Magna International, a global tier 1 automotive supplier. Magna International operates a number of divisions, in which each division has a primary focus on different product lines of components for automotive vehicles. Specifically Magna Mirrors primarily focuses on the manufacturing and development of exterior and interior mirror systems for automotive vehicles. The Engineering center in Grand Rapids, Michigan is structured to support research and development, validation testing, quality control, along with manufacturing to ensure collaboration between the engineering center, different departments, as well as the assembly plants.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
Throughout the course of the semester at Magna, I was involved in a variety of projects and tasks that were assigned to me. These projects consisted of benchmarking competitor products, operational checks on products, designing test fixtures, building and testing prototype products, along with running the additive manufacturing room with both FDM and Resin 3D printers. Additionally I would create reports and documentation to provide additional information in terms of benchmarked products along with tested parts for the various projects I was assigned.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
Through this experience, I was develop and maintain a vast range of technical and professional skills. I had furthered the development of my CAD skills by learning a new CAD software, PTC Creo. I also improved my professional speaking skills by presenting information to engineers by pitching ideas of innovative solutions to problem's with our products along with conveying information to engineers through expressing problems that may have arisen within a product while performing operational checks. Along with this, my cost estimation, design evaluation, project management, along with additive manufacturing skills have been built upon in which are all essential for a successful engineering career.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this co-op experience was the hands on technical work that was involved when it comes to newly designed prototype parts. I was involved with the development and testing preparation that required designing of fixtures that would be utilized to validate the performance of the newly developed prototypes. Along with this the highly skilled engineers would provide constructive and meaningful feedback on my designs and test methods to ensure the job was done correctly the first time around. The engineers would also provide insight on industry tips and best practices that had allowed themselves to get to where they are today, from this I was able to absorb as much information on the best practices, in which I will utilize in my professional career as a full time engineer.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This co-op experience has significantly shaped my future career goals by instilling a passion for the automotive industry in terms of working within an extremely fast paced environment. The skills and knowledge that I had gained while working as a co-op will be instrumental in achieving my long term career objectives, in which include mastering the techniques, engineering tools, along with innovating existing products within the automotive industry, eventually leading to utilization of my skills within U.S. Army applications further down the road in the future.
Internship Format
In Person